Invisible gemstone settings are well known in the art. In particular, an invisible gemstone setting is one in which the setting lies below the visible surface of the gemstone. One commonly used approach has been to place gemstones with notched sidewalls in parallel walled channels. Metallic projections from the channel walls engage the notches and maintain the gemstones in place thereby, rendering only the top surface of the gemstones visible. In another known jewelry setting arrangement, either four or six (rectangular or square) gemstones with notched sidewalls are mounted between corner prongs with the aid of supporting cross members that engage the notches in the sidewalls. The top surfaces of the smaller gemstones provide an appearance of a top surface of a single larger gemstone.
Conventional invisible multi-stone jewelry setting arrangements suffer from several disadvantages. One of such disadvantages is that these settings are substantially two dimensional. Multiple gemstones in such setting arrangements can only simulate the appearance of the top surface of a single larger gemstone.
Known invisible settings for multiple gemstones have been disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,335 and U.S. Pat. No. D425,817, both to Gurevitch et al. Both of these documents describe a setting in which either four or six square-shaped or rectangular-shaped gemstones are mounted on a setting to simulate the appearance of one larger, square-shaped or rectangular-shaped gemstone. The settings shown and described in these publications constrain the top surfaces of the smaller gemstones so as to lie in the same plane. Such known settings, however, do not allow the top surfaces of a number of smaller gemstones to simulate the top facet and side facets of, e.g., a single, larger gemstone. Accordingly these prior documents do not disclose the structure and configuration of the jewelry setting according to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,539 describes an invisible, multi-stone, setting for two or more rows of round stones. This publication describes a setting having interior sidewalls that extend in a zig-zag manner, and in which all of the stones abut and extend essentially in the same plane. This prior art arrangement does not disclose that the smaller round gemstones can be facilitated on the setting to substantially simulate the appearance of a single larger gemstone, with a smaller gemstones capable of being provided on a top portion and on a side portion of the setting thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,017 describes an invisible multi-stone setting for two or more rows of square-shaped or rectangular-shaped gemstones that are disposed in a series of parallel grooves. This conventional jewelry setting renders only the top surface of the stones visible. Indeed, the top surfaces of every stone are mounted in the same plane, or are constrained to lie on a surface with a large radius of curvature.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,506 describes a gem setting for a coherent array of overlapping round gems. The gems are set over a larger areas into large top bodies. A plurality of small stones, having a round top-view configuration, are disposed in the top of a methal jewelry piece body snugly side by side. Pointed ends of the gems are each inserted into corresponding open bottom funnel-shaped setting recesses milled into the solid metal of the piece body. After the insertion, the gems are held by the prongs which have been formed intermediately of the funnel-shaped setting recesses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,265 describes an invisible gemstone setting for a large number of rectangular-shaped or square-shaped gemstones which have grooves in the sidewalls thereof. The setting includes a base with a plurality of ribs defining at least one socket having a rectangular configuration. The gemstones have a same configuration to fit into the socket. The ribs of the setting are bent at their outer ends into the grooves to fix the gemstones in the sockets.
U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 403,611,411,134, and 427,934, which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, disclose an ornamental design of a jewelry setting in which, e.g., square or rectangular cut gemstones are mounted between four corner prongs. The top surfaces of the four gemstones may lie substantially in the same plane.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,907,187 discloses a setting for a group of precious stones, such as diamonds, which allegedly provides an appearance of a single large stone. The setting includes a gem mounting which has four mutually upwardly and outwardly upright members. The upright members are joined to one another by four pairs of spaced parallel bars. The tops of each set are flat and define a plane which is inclined downwardly and outwardly with respect to the horizontal at an acute angle. Rod-shaped stones are initially seated on the setting so that they rest loosely on the pairs of the bars of the mounting. When so seated, the edges of a central stone directly abut an edge of each of the stones so that when viewed from the top, the assembly has the appearance of a single stone of a larger size.
None of the above-described conventional gemstone settings provide the jewelry setting arrangement of the present invention which allows a number of smaller gemstones to be situated thereon for substantially simulating the appearance of a single larger gemstone. In addition, none of the prior art publications disclose the jewelry arrangement which, when facilitating smaller gemstones on each of its side and top portions, an appearance of a single larger gemstone being provided in each of the top and side portions thereof is simulated.